


Hurts

by Alexandria (heartfullofelves)



Category: Xena: Warrior Princess
Genre: Early in Canon, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 14:39:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17388230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartfullofelves/pseuds/Alexandria
Summary: After a fight with some ruffians, Gabrielle is concerned for her friend.





	Hurts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Melsheartsthings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melsheartsthings/gifts).



The bandits had attacked in the middle of the night. It was fortunate that Xena was a light sleeper and had woken up before they got too close, but the fight had still been too dangerous for Gabrielle’s comfort. As it had gone on, she’d wished she knew how to fight so that she could help out her friend.

Now all was quiet. As Gabrielle tidied up the overturned things in their camp, the bright moon her only source of light, she could just make out something dark on Xena’s cheek. She knelt down next to her friend for a closer look.

“Is that blood?” she said, frowning.

Xena wiped at her cheek. “Yeah. But it’s not mine.”

Seeing that Xena’s cheek didn’t remain clean, Gabrielle shook her head. “I think it _is_ your blood.”

Xena responded with a heavy sigh. “Great.”

Gabrielle grabbed one of their bags. Because it was so dark, she couldn’t see anything, so she had to feel around for bandages. It took longer than she’d hoped, but at last she felt some fabric that would do. She ripped a piece off, folded it, and pressed it against the wound on Xena’s cheek.

Xena hissed.

“Sorry,” Gabrielle murmured.

She was hyperaware of her breath against Xena’s face. Her fingers, too, were so close to Xena’s skin, the wadded fabric she held the only barrier. The time it took to staunch the blood did nothing to help; Xena was the injured one, but Gabrielle had her own pain: the knowledge that Xena didn’t look at her the way Gabrielle wanted her to. That hurt.

After the longest silence, Xena spoke, although it came out as more of a mumble due to Gabrielle’s hand against her cheek. “Has it stopped bleeding yet?”

Gabrielle blinked, then lifted the pad and had a look. “I think so. It’s hard to tell.”

“It must be deep,” Xena told her. “You’ll need to wrap it.”

“Okay.” Gabrielle was always eager to follow instructions, and she could do with learning how to treat wounds. She grabbed the rest of the bandages out of the bag.

“Now, you’re going to have to tie the bandage all the way around my head. It will look ridiculous, so you have to promise not to laugh, all right?”

Gabrielle smiled. As if she would laugh! She was much too scared of Xena to do that.

“I promise,” she said, and proceeded to wrap the bandage all the way around Xena’s head, including over her nose and ears. Once she’d tied it in place, she had to stifle a chuckle – Xena was right about it looking ridiculous.

“You promised you wouldn’t laugh,” Xena said.

Gabrielle clapped her hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing even more. “Sorry, I’m sorry.”

Then she did something brave: she wrapped her arms around Xena in a tight embrace. After a few awkward seconds, Xena returned the hug, patting Gabrielle’s back.

As they pulled apart, Xena asked, “What was that for?”

Gabrielle lay down on her bedroll, facing Xena. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

There was no other reason, of course, like her wanting to feel Xena’s warm, powerful body against hers. Nothing like that at all.

In the moonlight, Xena gave a small smile and lay down too. “Dressing your own wounds isn’t any fun. I’m glad you’re here, Gabrielle.”

It was the first time Xena had admitted anything like it, and it made Gabrielle’s heart want to burst with happiness. “So am I,” she said.

And if she snuggled right up to Xena in her sleep, Xena didn’t complain.


End file.
